Firearm wall lock

ABSTRACT

A firearm wall lock is a wall-mounted device that allows for quick and easy removal of a firearm when the lock is released. When the firearm is secured within the firearm wall lock, the trigger, breach, and firing mechanism are all enclosed to prevent access to or discharge of the firearm. The firearm wall lock is primarily constructed of four components including a post, a shelf, a locking clasp assembly, and a clamp. A firearm is supported by the shelf and is positioned parallel to the post. The clamp holds the top of the firearm barrel in place and the locking clasp assembly encircles and secures the trigger, breach and firing mechanism of the firearm. The firearm wall lock is mounted on the outside surface of a wall, bolted securely to a wall stud, or mounted within a wall between two wall studs.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Application No.60/611,994 filed Sep. 22, 2004, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to a firearm wall lock that is a wall mountedlocking device that securely mounts a long barreled firearm, such as arifle or a shotgun to the wall. The firearm wall lock allows for quickand easy removal of the firearm when the lock is released. If the needarises to obtain the firearm swiftly, the firearm wall lock can bequickly unlocked and the firearm retrieved. When the firearm is securedto the firearm wall lock, the trigger, breach, and firing mechanism areenclosed to prevent unintentional discharge of the firearm.

By way of background but not limitation, wall mount gun racks typicallyare used to permit the mounting of a long barrel firearm to a wall. Thewall mount gun rack includes a backing plate that is secured to thewall. Extending outward from the backing plate is a pair of horizontalsupport members that are used to support the stock and barrel of thelong barrel firearm. In order to prevent the firearm from beingunintentionally discharged, a secondary mechanism, such as a gunlock,must be employed to prevent the mechanism from being actuated. Typicallygunlocks are multi-piece units that require several steps for theirremoval. Even when in use, gunlocks do not prevent individuals fromhaving access to other components of the gun, such as the breach andfiring mechanism. In order to prevent access to the breach and firingmechanism, the firearm owner is required to use a gun safe, whichinhibits quick removal in the event that the firearm is needed.

In view of the above, it should be appreciated that there is a need fora firearm wall lock that prevents unpermitted access to the trigger,breach and firing mechanism, while permitting quick removal of thefirearm from the rack when needed. The present disclosure satisfiesthese and other needs and provides further related advantages.

The firearm wall lock is a wall-mounted locking device intended tosecurely mount a long barreled firearm (e.g. shotgun or rifle). Thefirearm wall lock allows for quick and easy removal of the firearm whenthe lock is released. If the need arises to obtain the firearm swiftly,the firearm wall lock can be quickly unlocked and the firearm retrieved.When the firearm is secured within the firearm wall lock, the trigger,breach, and firing mechanism are all enclosed to prevent access to ordischarge of the firearm. The firearm wall lock is comprised of fourprimary components that include a post, a shelf, a locking claspassembly, and a clamp. The firearm is supported by the shelf and ispositioned parallel to the post. The clamp holds the top of the firearmbarrel in place and the locking clasp assembly encircles and secures thefirearm. The basic firearm wall lock is mounted on the outside surfaceof a wall, bolted securely to a wall stud.

The use of additional components in combination with the firearm walllock permits the wall lock to be mounted between two wall studs toconceal the firearm within a wall. The additional components includemounting brackets and front panel assembly. The front panel assembly isattached to the mounting brackets. The front panel of the firearm walllock includes a hinge and a cabinet lock near the bottom of the frontpanel to create an enclosure. The enclosure allows the firearm wall lockand the firearm to be concealed within a wall.

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth inpart in the description which follows and the accompanying drawings,wherein the embodiments of the disclosure are described and shown, andin part will become apparent upon examination of the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a firearm wall lock;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the firearm wall lock;

FIG. 3 is top view of the firearm wall lock illustrating the shelfassembly;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the firearm wall lock illustrating the clampassembly;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the firearm wall lock illustrating the lockingclasp assembly in the locked position;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the firearm wall lock illustrating the lockingclasp assembly in the unlocked position;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of an alternate embodiment of thefirearm wall lock;

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the alternate embodiment of thefirearm wall lock illustrating the mounting between wall studs;

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the firearm wall lock equippedwith a firearm; and

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the firearm wall lock equippedwith a firearm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in the drawings, a firearm wall lock 10 is adapted tosecurely mount a long barreled firearm 12 (e.g. shotgun or rifle) to awall, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. The firearm wall lock 10 allowsfor quick and easy removal of the firearm when the lock is released. Ifthe need arises to obtain the firearm swiftly, the firearm wall lock 10can be quickly unlocked and the firearm 12 retrieved. When the firearm12 is secured within the firearm wall lock 10, the trigger, breach, andfiring mechanism of the firearm 12 are all enclosed to prevent access toor discharge of the firearm 12. While a long barreled firearm is shown,the firearm wall lock 10 can be shortened to accommodate other types ofshorter barreled firearms including handguns.

The firearm wall lock 10 is comprised of four primary components: thepost 14, shelf 16, locking clasp assembly 18, and clamp 20 as shown inFIG. 1. The firearm 12 is supported by the shelf 16 and stands parallelto the post 14. The clamp 20 holds the top of the barrel 24 of thefirearm 12 in place while the locking clasp assembly 18 encircles andsecures the firearm 12. The basic firearm wall lock 10 is mounted on theoutside surface of a wall 26, bolted securely to a wall stud 28.

The firearm wall lock 10 can also be mounted between two wall studs 28as shown in FIG. 8. The components that permit the attachment of thefirearm wall lock 10 between two studs 28 include mounting brackets 30and a front panel assembly 32. The front panel assembly 32 of thefirearm wall lock 10 includes a hinge 34, bracket 36, and a cabinet lock38 near the bottom of the front panel assembly 32 that inserts into amounting bracket 40. The front panel assembly 32 permits the firearmwall lock 10 and the firearm 12 to be concealed within the wall 26.

The post 14 of the firearm wall lock 10 is a vertical member that mountsto a wall stud 28 or between two studs 28. In one embodiment, the post14 can be manufactured from steel square tubing. The post 14 has a face42 that includes two apertures 44 to provide access to two innerapertures 46 as shown in FIG. 7. The apertures 46 permit attachment ofthe post 14 to the wall 26. The post 14 also includes sides 48 that havefive slotted holes 50. The upper and lower holes 50 are used for theside mounting brackets 30 in lieu of the face mounts. The three centralholes 50 form component attachment slots that are used to mount theshelf 16, locking clasp assembly 18, and clamp 20 to the post 14. Theattachment slots 52 are slotted to allow for vertical adjustment of theshelf 16, the locking clasp assembly 18 and the clamp 20 to permit themounting of various size firearms 12. While the firearm wall lock 10 isshown attached in a vertical position, the firearm wall lock 10 can alsobe installed in a horizontal position.

In the illustrated embodiment, the shelf 16 is formed from a flat pieceof steel with padding 54 along the top, or superior surface. The shelf16 attaches perpendicular to the post 14 via a shelf bracket 56. Thebutt 58 of the firearm 12 rests on the shelf 16. The shelf 16 isadjustable vertically to allow for variable distance between the butt 58of the firearm and the trigger/breach area 60.

The shelf bracket 56 is formed from a U-shaped piece of steel that fitsaround the post 14, as shown in FIG. 2. The shelf 16 is attached to theface of the shelf bracket 56. The shelf bracket 56 includes twoapertures 62 that allow a mounting bolt 64 to pass through and securethe shelf bracket 56 to the post 14.

The locking clasp assembly 18 is an enclosure that envelops the majorityof the trigger, breach, and hammer portion of the firearm 12 aspossible. The locking clasp assembly 18 attaches to the post 14 via alocking clasp bracket 68. The locking clasp assembly 18 includes alocking clasp back 70, a locking clasp front 72, a hinge 74, a lock 76,locking clasp pin 85 and the lock receiver 78 as shown in FIG. 1.

The locking clasp back 70 is comprised of a large flat piece of metalthat attaches to the locking clasp bracket 68. At one end of the lockingclasp back 70 is the hinge 74, and at the opposing end is the lockreceiver 78. A soft material to prevent marring the firearm covers thefront of the locking clasp back 70 such as cloth, rubber or foam.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the locking clasp pin 85 is a short,thick piece of steel attached to the locking clasp back 70. The lockingclasp pin 85 prevents the firearm from being removed while the lockingclasp assembly 18 is closed. The locking clasp pin 85 is mounted high onthe locking clasp back 70 and is adjustable to the left and right toaccommodate the varying thickness of firearms installed.

The locking clasp bracket 68 is comprised of a U-shaped piece of steelthat fits around the post 14. The locking clasp assembly 18 is attachedto the face of the locking clasp bracket 68. The locking clasp bracket68 includes two apertures 80 that allow a mounting bolt 82 with alocknut 84 to pass through and secure the locking clasp bracket 68 tothe post 14, as shown in FIG. 2.

The locking clasp front 72 is formed from a piece of metal curved toprovide two end caps 86 and further includes an aperture 88 to receivethe lock 76 and the lock receiver 78. When the locking clasp front 72 ispivoted on the hinge 74 to a closed position, the locking clasp assembly18 forms a box that surrounds the trigger, breach and hammer of thefirearm 12. The hinge-end 86 of the locking clasp front 72 has an outershell of hard plastic with an interior of softer plastic or foam. Theseelements prevent the trigger from being activated while a firearm 12 isstored within the firearm wall lock 10 and prevent the firearm 12 frombecoming marred during storage.

The hinge 74 is a sturdy, tamper resistant hinge that pivotally attachesthe locking clasp back 70 to the locking clasp front 72. The hinge 74permits the locking clasp front 72 to pivot 180 degrees to allow easyremoval of the firearm 10 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

A clasp lock 92 is incorporated to secure the locking clasp assembly 18in a closed position. The clasp lock 92 incorporates a tamper resistantlock that will not release the key when the clasp lock 92 is in theunlocked position. The clasp lock 92 includes a tab that pivots with therotation of the key. The tab engages the locking clasp lock receiver 78when the locking clasp front 72 is in the closed position and the clasplock 92 is in the locked position.

The locking clasp lock receiver 78 of the locking clasp assembly 18 isadapted to accept the metal tab of the lock 76 when the locking claspfront 72 is in the closed position and the lock 76 is in the lockedposition.

The clamp 20 is adapted to restrain the top of the barrel 24 of thefirearm 12. The clamp 20 is adapted to hold the firearm vertically inplace when the locking clasp assembly 18 is in the open position. Theclamp 20 of the firearm wall lock 10 is padded in order to preventmarring the firearm barrel 24. The clamp 20 is adjustable vertically, oralong the length of the post, to allow for variable height (length) ofthe firearm 12. The clamp 20 is adjustable horizontally to accommodatevarious diameter firearm barrels 24. The clamp 20 attaches to the post14 via a clamp bracket 94.

The clamp bracket 94 of the firearm wall lock 10 is a U-shaped memberfabricated from steel that is adapted to fit around the post 14. Theclamp 20 is attached to the face of the clamp bracket 94. The clampbracket 94 includes two apertures that permit the attachment of amounting bolt 96. The mounting bolt 96 secures the clamp bracket 94 tothe post 14.

The post 14 utilizes surface mounting holes 46 that are located in theback of the post 14 used to mount the post 14 to a wall stud. The post14 further includes the front surface mounting holes 44 that are largeenough to allow the head of a lag bolt 101 to pass through. The lag bolt101 is a self-tapping bolt with a secure head that requires a specialtool to install. The lag bolt 101 is used to secure the post 14 to awall stud 28 or secure the mounting brackets 30 to the wall studs. Therear surface mounting holes 46 are only large enough to allow the shaftof the lag bolt 101 to pass through. The head of the lag bolt 101 bindsagainst the area around the rear surface mounting holes 46.

The side mounting brackets 30, are formed from a piece of metal withboth ends are bent at right angles. The side mounting brackets 30further includes holes for mounting to the post 14 to the wall studs 28as shown in FIG. 7. A set of the side mounting brackets 30 are used toinstall the firearm wall lock 10 in the recessed mounting position. Thebrackets 30 bolt to the side of the post 14 near the top and bottomusing the mounting bolts 114. The brackets 110 attach to the wall studusing lag bolts 115. The firearm wall lock 10 also includes a sidemounting bracket latch slot 112. The latch slot 112 is a modified sidemounting bracket. The modification consists of the addition of a slot117 in the bracket to act as a receiver for the cabinet lock 38. Thefirearm wall mount 10 may also include the front panel assembly 32,which is used in the recessed mounting position. The front panelassembly 32 is a large piece of metal that covers the area removed fromthe wall when the firearm wall lock is recessed into the wall. The frontpanel assembly 32 includes a front panel 114 that is attached via afront panel hinge 34 to a front panel bracket 36 and has a cabinet lock38 in the lower corner, as shown in FIG. 8. The front panel bracket 36is adapted to be inserted between the side mounting brackets 110 and thewall stud 28 on one side of the firearm wall lock 10. The front panelbracket 36 attaches to the front panel hinge 34 and supports the frontpanel 114. The cabinet lock 38 is a small fastener that secures thefront panel assembly 32 to the side mounting bracket with cabinet lockslot 117. When fastened, the cabinet lock 38 keeps the front panelassembly 32 closed.

The back panel 118 is adapted to be used with the recessed mountingarrangement. The back panel 118 is formed from metal and covers the areabehind the post 14 for the recessed mounting of the firearm wall lock10. The back panel 14 is attached to a back panel bracket 120. The backpanel bracket 120 is comprised of a long section of metal that insertsbetween the side mounting brackets 30 and the wall stud 28 on one sideof the firearm wall lock 10. The back panel bracket 120 attaches to theback panel 118.

After installation and firearm setup, a long barreled firearm 12 may besecured in the firearm wall lock 10. To secure the firearm 12 to thefirearm wall lock 10 the locking clasp assembly 18 is unlocked andpivoted to an open position. When securing the firearm 12 in the firearmassembly 10 it is advisable for the user to ensure that the firearm doesnot have a round chambered and ensures that the safety is on. Next, thebutt 58 of the firearm is positioned onto the shelf 16 and the barrel 24is placed within the clamp 20. The shelf 16 and the clamp 20 maintainthe firearm 12 in a stored, unsecured position.

To safely secure the firearm 12 after the firearm 12 is placed into thefirearm wall lock 10 the user swings the locking clasp assembly 18 to aclosed position so that the locking clasp assembly 18 covers the firingassembly and turning the key to the locked position. The firearm is nowsecured and cannot be activated or removed.

To remove a secured firearm 12 from the firearm wall lock 10, the userfirst inserts a key into the lock and turns the lock to an unlockedposition. Once the lock is in the open position, the locking claspassembly 18 is pivoted to an open position so that the locking claspassembly is clear of the firearm 12. To remove the firearm 12 from thefirearm wall lock 10 after the locking clasp assembly 18 has beenunlocked, the user first inspects the firearm 12 to ensure that thesafety is engaged. The user next pulls the firearm 12 away from thefirearm wall lock 10 to removal from the clamp. Once the barrel 24 isfree from the clamp 20 the butt 58 of the firearm 12 is removed from theshelf 16.

The firearm wall lock 10 can be installed in multiple ways. The figuresillustrate two such arrangements. The first is on the outside of thewall 26 and the second is inside the wall 26. An outside wallinstallation consists of mounting the fire arm wall lock post 14 to astud 28 in the wall 26 with two lag screws. Such installation requiresthe determination of the location of the stud 28 within the wall 26.Marking the wall with two points that correspond to the holed in thepost 14. Next the user drills two holes in the wallboard and stud topermit securing of the lag screws. Once the holes are drilled the post14 is aligned and the lag bolts are installed. As previously stated, thepost can be oriented in a horizontal position perpendicularly orientedto the wall studs 28.

To install the fire arm wall lock 10 inside a wall 26 the user mustfirst determine the location of the two studs 28 within the wall andremove the wall material between the studs. Next the back panel bracket120 is inserted between the mounting brackets 110 and the wall stud 26.If the front panel assembly 32 is being installed the front panelbracket is installed between the mounting brackets and the wall stud.Next the mounting brackets are attached to the studs using lag bolts.The lag bolts are aligned with the side mounting holes of the post 14.Next the post 14 is attached to the mounting brackets using the mountingbolt with locknuts.

Various features of the disclosure have been shown and described inconnection with the illustrated embodiment, however, it is understoodthat these arrangements merely illustrate, and that the disclosure is tobe given its fullest interpretation.

1. A firearm wall lock for retaining a firearm comprising: a post; aclamp connected to the post and adapted to retain the barrel of thefirearm; a shelf connected to the post and adapted to support the buttof the fire arm; a locking clasp assembly connected to the post, thelocking clasp assembly adapted to surround the breach and firingmechanism of the firearm; and the locking clasp assembly furtherincluding a lock that permits the locking clasp assembly to be locked ina closed position to prevent removal of the firearm from the firearmwall lock and to prevent access to the breach and firing mechanism ofthe firearm.
 2. The firearm wall lock of claim 1, wherein the postfurther comprises a face comprising a first aperture and a secondaperture, the first aperture further comprising a first inner aperturefor receiving means for attaching the post to a wall, and the secondaperture further comprising a second inner aperture for receiving meansfor attaching the post to a wall.
 3. The firearm wall lock of claim 1,wherein the post comprises a side having at least five slotted holes,for receiving items selected from the group consisting of at least oneside mounting bracket, the shelf, the locking clasp assembly, the clampand combinations thereof.
 4. The firearm wall lock of claim 1, whereinthe shelf is vertically adjustable and perpendicularly attached to thepost with a U-shaped shelf bracket having at least two apertures forreceiving bolts to secure the shelf bracket to the post.
 5. The firearmwall lock of claim 1, wherein the shelf further includes a padding on asuperior surface.
 6. The firearm wall lock of claim 1, wherein the clampis adjustable along the length of the post to receive firearms ofvariable heights.
 7. The firearm wall lock of claim 1, wherein the clampis adjustable horizontally for receiving various diameters of firearms.8. The firearm wall lock of claim 1, wherein the clamp is padded.
 9. Thefirearm wall lock of claim 6, wherein the clamp is secured to a clampbracket, the clamp bracket including at least one aperture for receivingbolts to secure the clamp to the post through at least one back surfacemounting hole and at least one front surface mounting hole located onthe post.
 10. The firearm wall lock of claim 1, wherein the lockingclasp assembly further includes a hinge at a first end of the lockingclasp assembly to permit the assembly to be pivoted to an open position.11. The firearm wall lock of claim 10, further comprising a lockingclasp pin that is horizontally adjustable to accommodate varying sizesof firearms.
 12. The firearm wall lock of claim 10, wherein the firstend of the locking clasp assembly includes a soft material selected fromthe group consisting of rubber, foam, cloth and combinations thereof.13. The firearm wall lock of claim 10, wherein the locking claspassembly further includes a locking clasp having a lock for retainingthe locking clasp assembly in a closed position.
 14. The firearm walllock of claim 1, mounted in a recessed mounting position, furthercomprising a back panel and a front panel assembly, the front panelassembly adapted to conceal the firearm within the wall cavity.
 15. Afirearm wall lock for retaining a firearm comprising: a post comprisinga face comprised of a first aperture and a first inner aperture, asecond aperture and a second inner aperture for receiving means forattaching the post to a wall, the post further comprising a side havingat least five slotted holes; a padded clamp connected to the post andadapted to retain the barrel of the firearm, wherein the clamp issecured to the post by a clamp bracket and is adjustable along a lengthof the post and is horizontally adjustable; a padded shelfperpendicularly connected to the post by a shelf bracket and adapted tosupport the butt of the fire arm, wherein the shelf is verticallyadjustable; a locking clasp assembly connected to the post, the lockingclasp assembly adapted to surround the breach and firing mechanism ofthe firearm; and the locking clasp assembly further including a lockthat permits the locking clasp assembly to be locked in a closedposition to prevent removal of the firearm from the firearm wall lockand to prevent access to the breach and firing mechanism of the firearm.16. The firearm wall lock of claim 15, wherein the slotted holes receiveitems selected from the group consisting of at least one side mountingbracket, the shelf, the locking clasp assembly, the clamp andcombinations thereof.
 17. The firearm wall lock of claim 15, wherein thelocking clasp assembly further comprises a locking clasp front and alocking clasp back, the locking clasp back comprised of a flat piece ofmetal, having a hinge at a first end of the locking clasp back and alock receiver at a second end of the locking clasp back, wherein thelocking clasp back is secured to a locking clasp bracket, the lockingclasp front comprised of a curved metal comprising at least one aperturefor receiving the lock and the lock receiver, wherein the lock receiverreceives a metal tab of the lock when the locking clasp front is closedand the lock is engaged, wherein a hinge pivotally attaches the lockingclasp back to the locking clasp front, wherein the pivot is provided upto 180° between an open and a closed position of the locking claspfront.
 18. The firearm wall lock of claim 17, further comprising alocking clasp pin superiorly mounted on the locking clasp back and ishorizontally adjustable to accommodate varying sizes of firearms.
 19. Afirearm securing device for securing a firearm to a structure to preventan accidental or unauthorized discharge of the firearm, the firearmsecuring device comprising: a main body adapted to be secured to thestructure; a barrel support member connected to the main body andadapted to support the barrel of the firearm; a firearm stock supportconnected to the main body and adapted to support the stock of thefirearm; a locking clasp assembly connected to the main body and adaptedto surround the breach and firing mechanism of the firearm when in asecured position to prevent the accidental or unauthorized access to thebreach or firing mechanism of the firearm; wherein the firearm cannot beremoved from the firearm securing device when the locking clasp assemblyis in the secured position.
 20. The firearm securing device of claim 19,wherein the barrel support member is adjustable to accommodate firearmsof varying length.
 21. The firearm securing device of claim 20, whereinthe barrel support member is adapted to releasably secure the barrel ofthe firearm.
 22. The firearm securing device of claim 19, wherein thefirearm stock support is adjustable to accommodate firearms of varyinglength.
 23. The firearm securing device of claim 19, wherein the barrelsupport member, stock support member and locking clasp assembly arepadded to prevent damage to the firearm.
 24. The firearm securing deviceof claim 19, wherein the main body is recessed within the structure. 25.The firearm securing device of claim 24, wherein the firearm securingdevice further includes an access panel to conceal the firearm withinthe structure.
 26. The firearm securing device of claim 19, wherein thelocking clasp assembly includes a hinge adapted to permit the lockingclasp assembly to pivot from an open position to a secured position. 27.The firearm securing device of claim 19, wherein the locking claspassembly includes a lock to retain the locking clasp assembly in thesecured position.